ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Mines
Health and Welfare Measures for Mine Workers
The safety, health and welfare of workers employed in mines is regulated by the Mines Act, 1952 and the Rules/ Regulations framed thereunder which are administered by the Directorate General of Mines Safety  under the Ministry of Labour & Employment. This Act and Rules & Regulations framed thereunder have provisions to prevent occupational diseases in mines like medical examination before employment, periodical medical examination at an interval of 5 years, use of Personal Protective Equipment and Occupational Health Survey.
Under the said Act, Engineering control measures on prevention and generation of air-borne dust at workplace are provided under Regulation 124 of the Metalliferous Mines Regulation, 1961. As per the said regulation, miners shall take such steps as are necessary for the minimising of emissions of dust and for the suppression of dust which enters the air at any work place below ground or on surface and for ensuring that the exposure of workers to respirable dust is limited to an extent that is reasonably practicable but in any case not exceeding the limits that are harmful to the health of persons. It also provides that dust shall be suppressed as close as possible to its source of formation to prevent its liberation/accumulation and a jet of water shall be used throughout the drilling or boring operation to prevent the atmosphere being charged with dust.
The State Governments grant mineral concessions under the provisions of the Mines and Minerals   Act, 1957. On successful completion of the auction process, the successful bidder is mandated to seek statutory clearances viz. environmental before signing the lease deed and taking up mining operation. Environment Clearance takes into account Land, Air & Water environment, vegetation, fauna, aesthetics, Socio-Economic aspects, building materials, energy conservation and Environment Management Plan.
As per Rule 35 of the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules , 2017, every holder of Mining Lease shall monitor his mining & allied activities as per the template of Star rating and shall achieve at least threestar rating as part of Sustainable mining. The Star rating template inter alia also captures ambient air quality as per the standards laid down by MoEF&CC.
Further, as per Rule 40 of MCDR, 2017, every holder of prospecting licence or a mining lease shall take all possible measure to keep air pollution due to fines, dust, smoke or gaseous emissions during prospecting, mining, beneficiation or metallurgical operations and related activities within permissible limits. As per Rule 43 of MCDR, 2017, the standards and permissible limits of all pollutants, toxins and noise shall be such as may be notified by the concerned authorities under the provisions of the relevant laws for the time being in force.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Identification of 75 Water Heritage Sites
There is no provision under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 to declare a site as a “Water Heritage Site” under Archaeological Survey of India . However, the Ministry of Jal Shakti had constituted a Committee to identify 75 Water Heritage Structure  in reference to 75 years of India's Independence.
A total of 421 nominations were received through States/UTs, Central Agencies, NGOs and general public and out of which Committee has recommended 75 water heritage structures, which includes 5 Water Heritage Structure from Gujarat and 4 Water Heritage Structure from Andhra Pradesh respectively. In this connection, "Jal-Itihas" sub-portal under India-WRIS portal, showcasing the 75 WHS, was launched  on 5th January, 2023 at the 1st All India State Ministers Conference on Water at Bhopal. State/UT wise details of these WHS are at Annexure. At present there is no central fund allocated/disbursed for maintenance of these sites.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
ADDITIONAL DEPLOYMENT OF NAVAL PERSONNEL FROM WNC FOR PM CARE COVID HOSPITAL , AHMEDABAD
Towards capacity enhancement, in the form of skilled manpower and to bolster the fight against the COVID pandemic, a contingent of 41 naval personnel from Western Naval Command, comprising medical officers, nursing officers, paramedics and support staff have been deputed to the PM Cares COVID Hospital, Dhanvantari at Ahmedabad on 06 May 21. This is in addition to a 57 member naval medical team already positioned at the hospital on 29 Apr 21. The team is being deployed for a period of two months and will assist the hospital administration in handling covid patients.
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Special Service and Features
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda inaugurates new facilities at Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Hospital
Palakkad: May 11, 2023
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda inaugurated the newly opened Maternity Ward, MICU and NICU at Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Hospital in Agali, Attappadi, Palakkad district. While inaugurating the new facilities, Shri Arjun Munda called upon the people from the region to come forward and take advantage of the scholarships and employment schemes being implemented for tribals.
The Minister said that the government's aim was to build a healthy India and that the Ministry will provide all necessary support for it. Shri Arjun Munda pointed out that there were problems related to anaemia in tribal areas. To address this, the Prime Minister had launched a Rs 16,000-crore project involving the Ministries of Health and Tribal Affairs.
The Minister said that seven crore people would benefit from this. The Minister expressed concern that two residential schools set up under the Ekalavya model were still functioning in rented buildings. He said that necessary direction had been given to construct two buildings as quickly as possible. He added that central funds were available for this purpose. The Minister said that this would help in providing international-level education to tribal students. The Minister also said that steps will be taken to utilize forest resources for generating employment.
Shri V. K. Sreekandan MP, Vanathi Sreenivasan MLA,Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Trustee Dr. V. Narayanan, President V. P. S.Menon and others participated in the function. Nanjiamma, winner of the NationalAward for Best Female Playback Singer, was honored at the event.
Ministry of Finance
Government to study arbitration case award in Cairn Energy Plc and Cairn UK Holdings Limited
It is stated that the award in the arbitration case under India-UK Agreement for Promotion and Protection of Investments invoked by Cairn Energy Plc and Cairn UK Holdings Limited against Government of India has been passed.
The Government will be studying the award and all its aspects carefully in consultation with its counsels. After such consultations, the Government will consider all options and take a decision on further course of action, including legal remedies before appropriate fora.
PIB Headquarters
DIGITAL INDIA CAMPAIGN - A GAMECHANGER IN THE LOCKDOWN SCENARIO @CovidIndiaSeva handle gaining popularity in addressing Covid19 queries
In the Covid-19 induced national lockdown, the digital platforms have become the major source of information and updates of all the happenings across the world, thanks to the Digital India scheme for reaping the benefits at a crisis hour. The union and state governments too are finding digital platforms especially twitter as a quicker mode of disseminating information in addition to the conventional platforms. All the union ministries have an official twitter handle and are regularly utilising the platform for announcing important decisions and other updates from their ministries and departments. In an effort to stop misinformation and clarify on essential aspects of containing covid-19, the union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, had recently launched “@CovidIndiaSeva”- a Twitter Seva platform set to resolve all #COVID19 queries, which will be handled by a team of experts. They will share authentic public health information regarding #COVIDー19 swiftly helping to build a direct channel for communication with citizens.
This Twitter Seva platform aims at enabling E-Governance delivery in real time by responding to public queries effectively.
Professor Rajesh from Sulur, Coimbatore thanked the government for the handle @CovidIndiaSeva as it is a useful initiative under the digital India, in which experts are answering queries.
Professor Veerasamy from Malumichampatti Coimbatore appreciated the initiative as he got his queries answered.
Digital India is a campaign launched by the Government of India in order to ensure that government services are made available to citizens electronically by improved online infrastructure and by increasing internet connectivity or making the country digitally improved in the field of technology.
It was launched on 1st July, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It enables and empowers beneficiaries with Bharatnet.
The initiative includes plans to connect rural areas with high speed internet networks. Digital India consists of three core components - the developments of secure and stable infrastructure, delivering Digitally and ensuring universal digital living. As a result, the use of the social media handles like twitter, facebook etc by the public have increased over years . These platforms are thus widely used by the governments to reach the public and their utility is best realised in the present Covid-19 lockdown scenario. The public is using them as an effective tool for knowing the general information and updates about Covid 19 and the official @CovidIndiaSeva twitter handle serves as an interactive platform to answer their queries too. Thus Digital India campaign has changed the lives of the common men in our country and India is now adding approximately 10 million daily active internet users monthly which is highest rate of addition to the internet community anywhere in the world.
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Ministry of Steel
Union Minister of SteelReviews Status of Steel Cost Reduction in Production of PSUs;Directs for Cost Reduction through Improvement in Parameters
A meeting with officials of the PSUs from the Steel Sector to review status of cost reduction in production of PSUs and action plan for the future was held under the Chairmanship of Union Steel Minister Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Singhlast evening.
The Minister emphasised on the need to carry out macro & micro analysis of the parameters affecting the cost of production and leave no stone unturned to convert the adverse conditions into opportunities. Shri Singh directed that a road map for cost reduction through improvement in the aforementioned parameters in the next six months, be prepared and necessary action be taken. It was informed that coking coal, which is mostly imported, is the biggest cost element. The Minister urged the PSUs to focus on the important cost cutting measures such as reduction in the coke rate, increase PCI injection and increase use of pellets to reduce the consumption of coking coal and minimise the cost of production.It was also directed that these techno-economic parameters would be monitored on monthly basis through the Steel Dashboard.
The various parameters affecting the efficiency and productivity of the steel plants viz. BF Productivity, BF Coke Rate, BF PCI/CDI rate, Labour Productivity, Specific Energy Consumption, CO2 emission intensity, Water Consumption etc. were reviewed, so as to reduce the cost of production, improve the energy efficiency, reduce GHG emissions and minimise the water consumption.
The measures being taken to increase efficiency and productivity and reduce the cost of productionof the steel plants & mines as per the Indian &global benchmarks and action plans to achieve the same were also discussed.
Prime Minister's Office
PM addresses event to mark launch of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today attended, and delivered an address at the event to mark the launch of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He said the components of “Industry 4.0” actually have the ability to transform the present and future of human life. He said the launch of this Centre, the fourth in the world after San Francisco, Tokyo and Beijing, opens the door to immense possibilities in the future.
He said emerging fields, including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Blockchain, and Big Data, can take India to new heights of development, and improve the quality of life of its citizens. He said that for India, this is not just an industrial transformation, but a social transformation. He said Industry 4.0 has the strength to drive irreversible positive change in India. He added that it will help bring the required speed and scale to work being done in India.
The Prime Minister mentioned how the Digital India movement has brought data to villages of India. He explained how tele-density, internet coverage, and mobile internet subscriptions have increased in the recent past. He spoke of the rapid growth in number of Common Service Centres in India. He said that India has the highest mobile data consumption in the world, and is also the country where data is available at the lowest price. In this context he spoke of India’s digital infrastructure, and its interfaces including Aadhaar, UPI, e-NAM, and GeM. He said that a national strategy for creating a robust infrastructure for research in Artificial Intelligence has been prepared a few months ago. He said this new Centre will strengthen this process. He said that Industry 4.0, and the expansion of Artificial Intelligence, would lead to better healthcare, and reduce expenditure on health. He said it would also help farmers, and be of immense help in the agriculture sector. He mentioned other areas such as transportation and smart mobility, where it could play a key role. He said that as work progresses in India, in these areas, one of the targets is “Solve for India, Solve for the World.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that India would be able to take advantage of the fourth Industrial Revolution. He added that India would also make an immense contribution to it. He said that Government initiatives including Skill India Mission, Start Up India, and Atal Innovation Mission are preparing our youth for new and emerging technologies.
Ministry of Textiles
Textiles Minister launches Short Term Courses at NIFT Panchkula
Smriti Zubin Irani addressing the academic staff at Panchkula campus through video link
Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani, launchedfive short term courses at NIFT Panchkula, Haryana,through video link from New Delhi today.
The permanent campus building is under construction and is expected to be completed by June, 2020. Till the completion of the permanent campus, the Institute will be run from temporary campusin Polytechnic-cum-Multi Skill Training Centre in Sector 26 Panchkula. The campus is being set up with the support of Department of Technical Education, Government of Haryana.
Speaking on the occasion Smriti Zubin Irani urged the NIFT administration to conceive special projects to study the impact of Suraj Kund craft mela and made up industry in Haryana. She expressed hope that the students joining the new campus will not only be able to learn technology but also understand the process of entrepreneurship. The Textile Minister thanked the Haryana Government for providing land and infrastructure support. The Minister also released the brochure of the courses offered in the NIFT Panchkula.
The proposed one-year Certificate Programmes are:
- Fashion Clothing & Technology
- Design Development for Indian Ethnic Wear
- Fashion & Media Communication
- Textile for Interiors & Fashion
- Fashion Knitwear Production and Technology
- Fashion Clothing & Technology
The programme is tailor made for the professionals from the areas of fashion, apparel design, construction and technology. The curriculum is designed with a view to also help aspirants who would like to join the fashion industry.
- Design Development for Indian Ethnic Wear
The programme focuses on dressmaking, value addition, pattern making and surface techniques for Indian ethnic wear. It aims to develop entrepreneurial skills for fashion, bridal market and designer market.
- Fashion & Media Communication
The course aims at providing knowledge of fashion industry, fashion editing, styling, fashion ethics and computer aided designing and animation techniques and will benefit the existing and upcoming business in the vicinity.
- Textile for Interiors & Fashion
The programme aims to train professionals and young enthusiasts to pursue careers in interiors and the apparel industry.
- Fashion Knitwear Production and Technology
The programme aims to impart intensive training to prepare professionals for the knitwear garment industry, especially in the area of knitwear fashion coordination, merchandising and production.
The Continuing Education Programme will enroll students of any age group. A pre-requisite of 10+2 years of schooling is mandatory. The students will be selected based on their performance in the entrance examination and interview conducted by NIFT. The total numbers of students proposed in each programme will be 30.
Students will be exposed to experiential learning through laboratory and projects. Industry visits willbe arranged to nearby industries which will make the students more prepared to take up jobs locally.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
FSSAI specifies comprehensive group standard for millets vide Food Safety and Standards  Second Amendment Regulations, 2023; will be enforced from 1st September 2023
International Year of Millets  2023 provides an opportunity to increase global production, efficient processing and better use of crop rotation and promote millets as a major component of the food basket
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has specified a comprehensive group standard for millets vide Food Safety and Standards  Second Amendment Regulations, 2023 notified in the Gazette of India and the same will be enforced w.e.f. 1st September 2023.
Millets are group of small-grained cereal food crops that are highly tolerant to drought and other extreme weather conditions and requires low chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. Most of millet crops are native of India and they provide most of the nutrients required for normal functioning of human body. Millets are also gluten-free; low in Glycemic Index ; and rich in dietary fibre and micronutrients, including calcium, iron, phosphorus etc. Millets should ideally be an integral part of our daily diet.
FSSAI Guidance Note  provides more information about nutritional composition and benefits of consumption of Millets.
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In order to enhance awareness and promote production & consumption of millets, in April 2018, millets were rebranded as “Nutri Cereals” and “2018” was designated as the National Year of Millets. Later, the United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021 declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets . This will provide an opportunity to increase global production, efficient processing and better use of crop rotation and promote millets as a major component of the food basket.
Currently, individual standards for only a few millets like Sorghum , Whole and decorticated Pearl Millet grain , Finger Millet  and Amaranth are prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards  Regulations, 2011. FSSAI has now framed a comprehensive group standard for 15 types of millets specifying 8 quality parameters i.e., maximum limits for moisture content, uric acid content, extraneous matter, other edible grains, defects, weevilled grains, and immature and shrivelled grains, so as to ensure availability of good quality  millets in domestic and global markets.
The group standard is applicable to the following millets.:
1. Amaranthus 
2. Barnyard Millet 
3. Brown top 
4. Buckwheat 
5. Crab finger 
6. Finger Millet 
7. Fonio 
8. Foxtail Millet 
9. Job's tears 
10. Kodo Millet 
11. Little Millet 
12. Pearl Millet 
13. Proso Millet 
14. Sorghum 
15. Teff
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Steps to encourage BOT Road Projects
NHAI has taken several steps to rekindle the interest of private investors and lenders in the Build-Operate- Transfer  projects which include:
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Policy of one-time fund infusion to complete the projects.
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Policy of deferment of premium for financial stressed projects not able to meet subsistence revenue requirements.
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Policy of harmonious substitution for substitution of Special Purpose Vehicle  in consultation with lenders and concessionaire subject to certain conditions.
Apart from above, a new mode “Hybrid Annuity Model ” has been introduced where part construction cost is funded by NHAI and post construction, return of investor is assured through Annuities paid by Authority.
Further, NHAI is also trying to revive the private investments in the highway projects by amending the Model Concession Agreement for BOT model.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Commends NCPOR's Contributions to Earth Sciences During Visit and Stresses Need to Expand Research Activities in Himalayan Region
Union Minister of Earth Sciences Engages Virtually with Scientists Stationed at Bharati Station in Antarctica
Panaji | 26th May 2023
Union Minister for Earth Sciences, Shri. Kiren Rijiju, visited the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research  today. The visit served to familiarize the Minister with the significant activities and initiatives undertaken by NCPOR. Throughout the day, a series of informative and engaging events were organized to showcase the crucial work carried out by the institution. A key highlight of the visit was an interactive session where the Minister engaged virtually with the dedicated team stationed at Bharati Station in Antarctica.
Addressing NCPOR scientists and staff, Union Minister of Earth Sciences Shri. Kiren Rijiju expressed his appreciation for their dedicated work and acknowledged the immense potential and relevance of the center. He highlighted the growing aspirations of the Indian people and India's increasing prominence on the global stage.
Recognizing NCPOR’s contributions to scientific advancement, the Minister lauded the successful expedition team currently stationed in Antarctica and expressed his enthusiasm to interact with them upon their return. He stressed the need to enhance and expand research activities, particularly in the Himalayan region, which he believes holds immense potential and demands further exploration.
The Union Minister also expressed his belief in the transformative power of science and the need for a rational approach in addressing challenges. He assured the scientific community of his commitment to providing necessary resources, policies, and support to enable them to achieve their objectives. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of creating awareness and visibility for the work carried out by researchers and urged for increased public engagement and appreciation of scientific endeavors.
Director of NCPOR, Dr. Thamban Meloth, expressed his gratitude for the Union Minister of Earth Sciences' visit. The Director emphasized that conducting scientific research in polar regions requires exceptional skills in complex logistics and coordination among public institutions, agencies, and departments. He expressed confidence that NCPOR will make significant strides and elevate India's reputation in polar and oceanic research under the Minister’s leadership
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju’s visit also included a virtual reality show of the Antarctic region, and a visit to the Ice Core Lab and the Sophisticated Instrumentation Facility where advanced research infrastructure and techniques utilized by NCPOR scientists were showcased.